Has anyone ever used these reins?

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

They are Shires and have elastic inserts
I have a bad habit of locking my left shoulder/wrist as Dex leans badly on that rein, which then of course compounds the issue - I am working on it as much as possible, but thought these may help me not make him worse while I work on myself

Thoughts?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I bought them, I can’t figure out how to fit them!
They are new and for sale if you want

 

[Pinkvboots]

I have used similar on something that leaned on the bit they did help a bit.

Arabi went through a stage of leaning on one rein my instructor would tell me to just keep giving with that hand by just moving it forward slightly, once you get into the habit of remembering to do it often it does help stop the horse leaning and you leaning back.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Carl Hester has the fantastic elastic reins. I think I prefer the look of the fantastic elastic reins as there isn’t quite as much give as with the Shires add on widget.

Carl Hester Fantastic Elastic Dressage Reins

Designed by the Olympic Gold Medalist to give an elastic feel from the hand to the horses mouth. “As a rider and trainer my constant quest is to connect horse and rider with the ultimate ‘elastic’ feel, these reins do exactly that&r

www.carlhester.co.uk

 

[Lois Lame]

This is intriguing.

 

[catkin]

Not used these, and sorry if I'm teaching 'grandma to suck eggs' - but something that can work for this issue is holding the reins the other way round (between thumb and first finger then down the palm)

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Thanks all - I may give them a try in that case! Worth a try for not too much money - @Tiddlypom I prefer the look of those ones too but I'd rather do a £16 trial than a £90 one!

Not used these, and sorry if I'm teaching 'grandma to suck eggs' - but something that can work for this issue is holding the reins the other way round (between thumb and first finger then down the palm)

I hadn't heard of this method so very welcome advice! I'll give it a try.

I have used similar on something that leaned on the bit they did help a bit.

Arabi went through a stage of leaning on one rein my instructor would tell me to just keep giving with that hand by just moving it forward slightly, once you get into the habit of remembering to do it often it does help stop the horse leaning and you leaning back.

Good to know! My old instructor who I loved (that now doesn't travel to my yard as her other client no longer rides ) gave me this advice too and it definitely worked, but I have lost the knack now of being able to do it and not drop the contact on the outside rein. I am on the case to try and find another instructor, it's hard to pick up your bad habits yourself when you're trying to fix something else!

 

[Pinkvboots]

I've used a bungee rein to school in before as well they are only cheap.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I have the Carl Hester ones, I've used them once in about 8/9 years as I really don't school much. They were quite nice to ride with though and gave a good feel but tbh I have no idea what I'm doing

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I've used a bungee rein to school in before as well they are only cheap.

Is it one of these that you mean?

I have the Carl Hester ones, I've used them once in about 8/9 years as I really don't school much. They were quite nice to ride with though and gave a good feel but tbh I have no idea what I'm doing

Good to know! Perhaps if I like the shires ones and they do what I would like them to, I will invest in the better ones

 

[Skib]

I ride in fine leather reins with no stops. If the mare leans on the reins they slip forward through my fingers. This cured her leaning which her previous rubberised grip reins did not. I would not want elastic betweenthe mouth of the horse and my fingers. It would block the feel and communication.

 

[Equi]

I used these at the start with my horse as he had an awful habit (from his old home) of flinging his head and pulling down and I wanted to be a bit more gentle on his mouth when he did this. Over the first few weeks I worked on it and with nose nets and a new saddle etc he stopped it so I no longer needed them.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Is it one of these that you mean?

View attachment 151222


Good to know! Perhaps if I like the shires ones and they do what I would like them to, I will invest in the better ones

Yes that them I just clip each end on to the bit.

 

[Lois Lame]

I have the Carl Hester ones, I've used them once in about 8/9 years as I really don't school much. They were quite nice to ride with though and gave a good feel but tbh I have no idea what I'm doing

I also don't know what I'm doing.

I'd like to give the reins a go, and perhaps one day I will. But it's to stop me worrying about asking for a contact, hard to explain. I don't pull, but my 'contact' isn't much of a contact and apparently that's no good as it might be jerky. I'm more inclined to give reins away than to hang on.

 

[Polos Mum]

I have the small inserts that can be used with any reins - normal rein attachment goes on the bit and ring to put normal reins on.

I think they help the horse a little (some of my fiddling is absorbed by the elastic) so easier for him to ignore - but really I need to keep my contact still and steady so not much help with that

I'm sure you've thought of it - but any clue why he does it only on one side. Any chance there is a wolf tooth on that side or niggle somewhere?

I think mine were cheap and not much risk of doing any harm so give it a try (or see if someone local has a pair you can borrow) not sure people would use them long term so likely to be something kicking around in the back of a tackroom for someone.

 

[eggs]

Not used these, and sorry if I'm teaching 'grandma to suck eggs' - but something that can work for this issue is holding the reins the other way round (between thumb and first finger then down the palm)

We used to call this 'frying pan hands' (as in it is how you would hold a frying pan) and it is something I still do fairly regularly

 

[Tiddlypom]

I’ve also used ‘frying pan hands’. This was when being trained under a List 1 judge. It really seems to help.

 

[Pinkvboots]

We used to call this 'frying pan hands' (as in it is how you would hold a frying pan) and it is something I still do fairly regularly

I might have to try it

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I'm sure you've thought of it - but any clue why he does it only on one side. Any chance there is a wolf tooth on that side or niggle somewhere?

He has had all wolf teeth out so not that, he has monthly bodywork/massage and nothing being flagged on that outside of what is normal (plus he is super happy being hacked which means it's likely not pain/saddle, or he'd be unhappy doing both), I have had a look in his mouth and the dentist came only a month ago so don't think it's dental, no bit change and he's not fussy in his mouth and I have tried cavesson/grackle/no noseband and he's the same in all. His saddle is overdue (for a youngster, was checked 3 months ago) so I have re-booked that in just to err on the side of caution.

To be honest I am fairly certain I am the probem, a) I'm not a brilliant rider as it is and I have been out of work so not had a lesson in a while and b) I have bilateral hip dysplasia after my last horse decked me and ruined my pelvis in the process, therefore now the cold weather is flaring my arthritis I am 99% sure I am closing that side of him down with my lack of flexibility in the hip and then when he braces I am bracing with that arm/shoulder without realising and thus the cycle continues - this is why I thought the elastic rein may help slightly. I have my instructor coming tomorrow so will see what she thinks/if he does the same with her.

I might have to try it

I tried it last night, it does help but it's very weird on the brain when you have SUCH an ingrained muscle memory!

 

[maya2008]

Just a thought, but if his monthly bodywork is flagging up nothing, could you go to every other month for him and pop in some physio/osteo for yourself with the money you save? A good private physio should give you exercises to do a home so you wouldn't need to go that often beyond the initial assessment. We often forget the impact we have on the horse - my son is often wonky as he grows and yesterday had two ponies both coming off the track and drifting to the inside. I was like, 'It's you, you're the only common denominator here!' and he was, in fact, unconsciously sitting unevenly. Six months or so ago he had wonky shoulders, and that led to all sorts of problems.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Just a thought, but if his monthly bodywork is flagging up nothing, could you go to every other month for him and pop in some physio/osteo for yourself with the money you save? A good private physio should give you exercises to do a home so you wouldn't need to go that often beyond the initial assessment. We often forget the impact we have on the horse - my son is often wonky as he grows and yesterday had two ponies both coming off the track and drifting to the inside. I was like, 'It's you, you're the only common denominator here!' and he was, in fact, unconsciously sitting unevenly. Six months or so ago he had wonky shoulders, and that led to all sorts of problems.

Actually that's a very good thought and something I should really do - the actual 'injury' is that I have a forward rotated pelvis that means I have bilateral hip dysplasia that is then causing arthritis in the joint as the edge of the socket grates along the ball of he joint (at the grand old age of 28!), so that is beyond help and I am just trying to delay two hip replacements as long as possible - but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't be able to address any compensatory movement in the rest of my body.

 

[Lois Lame]

I might have to try it

Me too, though I can't think why it helps. This is how one holds the reins when driving isn't it?

I have the small inserts that can be used with any reins - normal rein attachment goes on the bit and ring to put normal reins on.

I wonder what these look like. i googled, but saw nothing that you might mean

 

[Birker2020]

Me too, though I can't think why it helps. This is how one holds the reins when driving isn't it?


I wonder what these look like. i googled, but saw nothing that you might mean

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

How much were those ones @Birker2020 ?

 

[catkin]

Me too, though I can't think why it helps. This is how one holds the reins when driving isn't it?

Yes it is how you hold driving reins, but in both hands not one.

Can't speak for anyone else but the ways I find it helps for riding is that you keep your elbow and hand in the same plane so the joints seem to work together to keep a contact (no 'piano hands' whilst doing this!!)

Also it sort of shocks your muscle-memory in a good way so you are more aware of what you are doing with your hands.

Experiment, and let your horse let you know what they think.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

So, my utterly brilliant instructor managed to come out today (and I have arranged to shift my working hours on a friday to mean she can come every week!) and as anticipated I was the problem, but it was actually a seatbone problem rather than anything else.

I had far too much weight into my right side and was not using my left seatbone nor weighting that leg properly (I compensate because of my dodgy hips), and in trying to put my inside leg on to combat the stiffness I was feeling and create some bend, I was making it worse as it was pulling even more weight off that side onto the other side! I honestly couldnt feel I was doing it but she spotted it in two seconds flat. The difference was instantaneous, albeit I have some unwinding to do.

I had let my lessons slip as I wasn't working for a month or so and our calendars just didn't match up as I started a new job and didn't yet have the flexibility, but MY GOD a good instructor is worth their weight in gold!! I can now end my existential 'I am ruining my horse' spiral!